Die Weinlage Pfaffenwies erstreckt sich über die gesamte Höhe der Lorcher Weinbergslagen, vom Rhein bis zum Fuße des Waldes. An steilen, südwestlich ausgerichteten Hängen wachsen bis zu 55 Jahre alte Rebstöcke auf von Hunsrückschiefer und Taunusquarizit geprägten Böden. Die Rieslinge der Pfaffenwies tragen eine fast salzige Mineralität in sich und werden dazu von feinen Fruchtaromen heimischer Früchte bestimmt.
| Alcohol | 12.0% | |
| Vintage | 2020 | |
| Volume | 0.75l | |
| Winery | Weingut Georg Breuer | |
| Rebsorte | Riesling | |
| Vineyard | Pfaffenwies | |
| City | Lorch | |
| Region | Rheingau | |
| Country | Deutschland | |
| Stored | 08.11.2022 |
Pfaffenwies is a vineyard site in Lorch in the Rheingau. It stretches along the slopes facing the Rhine between Lorch and Assmannshausen. The VDP lists the site as VDP.ERSTE LAGE. The classified area comprises 19.73 hectares; Georg Breuer cultivates 3.2 hectares of it.
The south-south-westerly facing site has partly steep slopes. The gradient is given as 10 to 40 per cent; individual slopes reach up to 45 per cent. The shallow, stony soils are made up of Taunus quartzite and Hunsrück slate; on the lower slopes there is deeper loess. The nearby Rhine has a temperature- and moisture-buffering effect on the microclimate.
Pfaffenwies was first mentioned in 1211 as “Pafenwies” and in 1235 as “Paffenwissen”. The name is associated with Pastor Dydo, the son of the knight Nikolaus von Scharfenstein. The classified grape varieties include Riesling and Pinot Noir.
The Pfaffenwies Riesling 2020 by Georg Breuer has 12.0 per cent alcohol, 3.1 grams of residual sugar per litre and 7.4 grams of acidity per litre. Aromas of almond and chamomile, as well as yellow fruit and floral notes, are described. Integrated acidity, a dense extract, a gentle bitterness note and a firm finish shape the profile. Georg Breuer states that the grapes are harvested at high physiological ripeness and sorted selectively during the harvest.
The Georg Breuer winery manages a total of 40 hectares of vineyard land in Rüdesheim, Rauenthal and Lorch in the Rheingau. Of this, 25.5 hectares are in Rüdesheim, 6.5 hectares in Rauenthal and 8 hectares in Lorch; 65 percent of the vineyards are in steep slopes.
The vineyards are planted to Riesling for 86 percent; the rest includes 10 percent Pinot Noir, 3 percent Pinot Gris and, together, 1 percent Pinot Blanc, Orléans and Heunisch. The Pfaffenwies in Lorch faces south-west, has a slope of up to 45 percent and lies at around 90 to 160 metres above sea level. Its soils consist of stony Hunsrück slate and Taunus quartzite, supplemented in the lower areas with loess. The Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg is characterised by slate and quartzite, while the Nonnenberg in Rauenthal is dominated by deep phyllite soils with gravel layers.
The winery produces dry wines from the Rheingau vineyards. The site- and vineyard-specific wines are described as complex and suitable for ageing. Rieslings from the Pfaffenwies are distinguished by pronounced minerality and acidity, while the wines from the Nonnenberg are characterised by power. Orléans has been grown on the slopes of the Rüdesheim Berg Schlossberg since 2000 and is matured in small wooden casks. The Georg Breuer Brut made from Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, produced since 1987, matures for eleven years on fine lees in the bottle before being disgorged.
Bernhard Scholl and Albert Hillebrand founded the winery in 1880 as part of a wine trading business. Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been owned by the Breuer family. Georg Breuer expanded the business and wine exports; later, his sons Heinrich and Bernhard increased the amount of vineyard land. After Bernhard Breuer’s death in May 2004, Theresa Breuer took over the management and runs the winery today with the support of long-standing employees. The vineyards are farmed according to nature-oriented guidelines. According to its own information, the winery does without herbicides and pesticides, relies on adapted tillage and covers the plots with legumes. It is a founding member of FAIR’N GREEN and takes part in the biodiversity project AmBiTo.